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Albino Cory and fin rot 10/18/07 Hi Bob--
<Well, it's Neale right now; hope that'll do.> I hope you
are doing great. As always, let me please start with thanking you for
the WWM web site and opportunity to share my concerns / problems /
questions with other aquarists. <Cheers!> I do have a question
about and a problem with fin rot in Albino Cory. <Ah, Finrot...
almost always an issue with water quality. If it ever gets caused by
other stuff, that's news to me. So, always review water quality
while treating Finrot.> Few months ago my little Albino got that
disease. In the aftermath of that fin rot my Albino lost its dorsal and
pectoral fins... ;--( I acknowledge I was afraid to medicate the fish
assuming that changing water will be much more beneficial than dropping
medication... Perhaps, I was wrong. <Indeed you were wrong. It's
a 2-step process. Water changes are essential to maintaining good water
quality. No question. 50% weekly is my recommendation. BUT, while using
a medication, you can't do water changes. Water changes would
(obviously) dilute the medication, reducing its efficacy. This is also
why you remove carbon from the filter (if you're using it, and you
shouldn't be in my opinion). Carbon removes medication, reducing
its efficacy as well. Regardless, it's not an "either/or"
situation -- you do water changes to prevent problems, and use
medications (stopping water changes) when problems arise. When the
medication course is finished, resume water changes.> On a regular
basis, every Wednesday and Saturday, I change 30% of my 25-gallon tank
water... The pH range reads between 6.8 and 7.0. The water temperature
is ca. 76 F. The ammonia level is 0. <All sounds reasonable. I
personally find Nitrite more informative than Ammonia though; ammonia
can come from inorganic sources (e.g., tap water) and its absence tells
you nothing about the Nitrifying bacteria that turn Nitrite into
Nitrate.> I keep lots of plants (Cabomba & banana) and make sure
the water circulation is quite fast (I have one Emperor filter + one
small Hagen filter for 10-gallon tank and 2 oxygen stones). <10
gallons a little on the small side for Corydoras paleatus (which is
likely what you have).> I am not sure what I am doing wrong, but
there must be something I do not get right... I noticed that my Albino
started loosing its caudal fins (I observed the fin became quite ragged
and 1/2 "eaten"). <How often do you clean the substrate?
It's often said that dirty substrates can promote secondary
infections on benthic fish. No idea if this is true or not, but
stirring the gravel every few weeks before doing a water change
can't do any harm, so long as you don't uproot the plants.>
At this point I have to acknowledge that I am clueless ;--( and
desperately looking for help, before the entire caudal disappears.
<I see.> Do you think that I should place Albino in a hospital
tank and treat it for the fin rot? <No, Corys like to be in groups,
and keeping them alone will stress the fish in question. Besides, you
may as well treat the tank.> If so, what is the best medication
(least harmful) I could offer to that little fish. <Corys are fairly
tolerant of medications compared with more sensitive catfish. So any
combination Finrot/Fungus medication will work here. Ideally, get
something safe with sensitive fish and/or invertebrates, but it really
doesn't matter too much. I happen to find eSHa 2000 very good with
sensitive fish, but as far as I know it's only sold here in Europe.
Mardel Maracyn is one alternative you might consider.> Sorry to
"bother" you with my question... I hope you will be able to
guide me toward the right answer. Thanks much in advance for your
feedback. Anna <Hope this helps, Neale> Mysterious Sterbai Corydoras Death 09/29/07 Hi, <<Good morning, Katie. Tom here.>> I currently have a 10 gallon aquarium housing 4 rosy barbs, four Sterbai Corydoras, and one Panda Corydoras. Tonight when I came home, one of my four Sterba's had sadly passed away. <<Sorry to hear this.>> None of my fish are showing any signs of sickness and the Cory was alive and well this morning when I went to work. <<Certainly nothing that we like to see, Katie, but, with Corys, this isnt particularly uncommon. Their diminutive sizes along with their normal behavior, i.e. lounging on the bottom of the tank, hiding out under plants/decorations, frequently makes it difficult to spot trouble.>> I have had the tank running for a year and all of the fish are the original inhabitants of the tank (cycled before they moved in), except the Panda Cory which I moved into the tank about a month ago (from another tank in my house, which it had lived in for three months). I have no idea why the Cory died as he looked very healthy up to the point where he was, well, dead. Although none of my Cory's are extremely active like other people mention, they do their share of swimming around or lounging on the driftwood in the aquarium. The tank has about 3 watts per gallon of light, but the tank is planted and covered with so they can hang out away from direct light and the lights are on a twelve hour timer. The substrate is sand with a bit of Fluorite mixed in for the plants. I have noticed on all my Corydoras, the barbels are not entirely developed and shorter than the pictures of the Corydoras I find here. (Could this be because of the Fluorite chunks?) <<I consider the notion that Corys wear down their barbels on certain types of substrates a bit of an old-wives tale, Katie. Barbels, almost invariably, deteriorate due to bacterial infections (much like fin rot), not by being worn away on sharp edges of materials. (How long would you walk, haphazardly, on sharp stones in your bare feet before the light bulb went on? Not long, Im guessing!)>> I am giving you the stats below with the hope that you can help me explain and prevent further Cory loss. Any info you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Katie Measurements taken when I spotted the dead Cory: Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: 20 ppm <<A little high here given a planted tank. No cause for alarm, obviously, just a bit surprising to me.>> ph: 8 Temperature: 78 degrees Diet: dry flakes at 12 hour intervals (from fish feeder), sinking shrimp pellets, frozen brine shrimp, frozen blood worms (once weekly) <<All looks/sounds pretty good, Katie. One thing that we havent touched on is water changes. These are largely responsible for keeping the nitrates in check and, digressing back to your nitrate levels, Im wondering if these arent a symptom of a problem. Sand, in particular, can trap tiny particles of food and detritus, leading to the buildup of pockets of gas (hydrogen sulfite) which is produced by the bacteria feeding on the trapped solids. This isnt such a problem, if at all, in tanks containing certain varieties of fish such as Cichlids, as a common example, because they sift through the substrate routinely and allow the gas to be vented before it becomes problematic. Your Corys only superficially scavenge at the bottom, however, so they wont be of much help in disturbing the sand enough to avoid this potential issue. Since I keep a fairly large number of Corys of different varieties myself, I can speak to the concern that a lot of hobbyists may have about vacuuming the little rascals up in a syphon tube during water changes. Mine think its grand fun to dash around the tube looking for goodies that they couldnt reach themselves until I've stirred things up. (They dont listen very well, either!) The upshot here is that between the plants/roots and nosy little fish, you may not be getting the substrate cleaned up as well as it could be. This, in turn, may be creating a less-than-healthy environment for your Corys. (A rather lengthy ramble over something that Id have passed off as just one of those things if you hadnt mentioned the shortness of the barbels on the other Corys.) Honestly, I cant tell you that this had anything to do with the death of your Sterbai but I think its something well-worth addressing where your concerns are involved. Hope this helps. Good luck to you. Tom>> My poor catfish!! Corydoras dis.,
use 8/22/07 Good morning, we are fairly new
aquarium owners, we have 2 gravel cleaner Corydoras and one of them has
a very swollen belly, we thought it might be pregnant but today it is
finding it very difficult to swim and keeps going to the surface.
Sometimes it falls back down to the bottom like its dead but then will
swim back up. Not keeping it's balance very well. The other one
looks fine and is sat on the bottom as normal. Please could you give me
some advice on what to do. I can't seem to get a clear enough
picture but will try if you really need one. They are a grey colour
with a pinkish tone, about 2 inches long. Thank you so much Sharon
<Hello Sharon. Corydoras aren't "gravel cleaners" --
that's your job. Indeed, forcing catfish of any kind to root about
dirty gravel causes infections to set in, typically associated with
eroded barbels (whiskers) and, in serious cases, reddish sores on the
belly. A photograph will help, but my assumption without one is that
your catfish are suffering from poor water quality. In a new aquarium
the ammonia and nitrite levels quickly reach toxic levels. Catfish will
try and mitigate the problems by gulping air, which is the dash to the
surface your catfish are doing, but eventually the ammonia and nitrite
cause damage to the fish, which is the odd behaviour. Even in the short
term, prolonged exposure to nitrite and ammonia will kill them. Using
your test kits (which I hope you have!) ensure the ammonia is 0 and the
nitrite is 0. If this is not the case, do a 50% water change. Repeat
the water test and, if required, 50% water change every single day
until you get 0 ammonia and nitrite for two or three days on the trot.
At that point, you can scale things back to 50% water changes per week.
Cheers, Neale>
Mysterious Catfish Deaths (and brown
algae) 07/03/07 Hi crew, <Hello.> This is my first time
writing to you. I have been an avid reader of your pages for almost a
year, and I have gathered much information. I have also kept fish for
quite a long time, and I have never encountered these problems.
<OK.> Firstly, aquarium stats: 29 G glass bowfront, about 6
months old. Inhabitants include 3 green Corys, 3 Oto, 1 medium
angelfish, 4 various platies, 2 neon Rainbowfish. Moderately planted (a
couple of swords, sparse java moss, a couple java ferns, some floating
elodea), 24 W T-5 lighting, no CO2 or air pump, filter for 60 G
(300GPH). Ammonium, Nitrites = 0, Nitrates = 10 ppm. Substrate = Eco
Complete. 1 piece of driftwood. pH = 8.x? (it is really high, and the
tests have not been very accurate). Water changes are 25 - 30% once a
week (very regular), siphoning the unplanted areas and under the
driftwood and replacing with treated tap. <The high pH is alarming.
It may be an issue with your test kit. Test kits designed for the
"low end" around pH 5.5-7.5 tend to be inaccurate at the
"high end" around pH 7.5-9.0, and vice versa. So, check that.
Second, what's the pH of the water straight out the tap? Your
selection of fish wants a pH around 7.2-7.5, but what matters more than
pH is hardness, so you want to check that as well. If you live in an
area supplied with exceptionally hard water (such as water from a
limestone aquifer) you can easily have a pH slightly above 8.0. Not
ideal for things like tetras and angels, though they can adapt.>
Issues: Corys with degenerating barbels/fins. The Corys (had 6 at
first) were fine for the first few months. They grew from baby size
into adult size and were super active. They also had nice fins and
barbels. Then, java moss began growing everywhere, and their barbels
started deteriorating. Then a couple died. I thought it might be the
Java Moss collecting debris and making high local nitrates. But I
cleared out almost all of it and the Corys still seem to be suffering
from fin rot/barbel degeneration. I put in a new Cory from QT a few
weeks ago and it's barbels seemed to be deteriorating! Then it
died. Why is this? All the mid to top dwelling fish (including the
angel) are active and eating very well, and have nice fins. Also, the
Corys seem lethargic and hide under the driftwood all day, only coming
out to get food. <Almost certainly the water quality at the bottom
of the tank and especially in the substrate is suboptimal. The reason
the new Corydoras died was it couldn't adapt to these conditions,
whereas the old Corydoras have (to a degree) adapted. Anyway, check the
water circulation. Many filters do a good job of moving water around
the top of the aquarium but the water flow at the bottom can be
relatively poor. If the Java Moss is accumulating silt, then that's
a good clue that this might be the problem. Adjust the filter, or add
an airstone or two at the bottom of the tank to improve water
circulation.> Additionally, the Otos like to hang out near the top
of the tank. If I recall, they used to like hanging out on the plants.
But there seems to be something bothering them because they hang near
the surface and don't eat much algae. This lead me to think there
was something near the bottom that bothers them, but I can't
identify it. I do siphon the unplanted areas of the bottom every time I
do a water change. <Sounds as if there's a lack of oxygen at the
lower levels, again suggesting poor water flow. Otocinclus are fishes
of fast-flowing streams, and are exceptionally sensitive to static
water.> Is the Eco Complete doing something strange to the fish?
What could the culprit be? Usually fin rot is associated with nitrates
but I tested the water at the bottom of the aquarium, and the nitrates
were at 10 ppm! (same as the surface). <I can't imagine the Eco
Complete is the immediate problem. Are you using under tank heating of
any kind? When using deep, rich substrates, under tank heating is
recommended. Basically you thread a heater cable through the substrate,
and when this is warm, it sets up convection currents that slowly
circulates the water. Works very well and the plants thrive, but
it's a little more expensive to do than a regular heater.>
Finally, a there is a large amount of brown algae infestation in my
tank. It is covering all of my plants and the java moss too, making it
a furry brown carpet. To the best of my knowledge, it doesn't seem
like there should be a lot of algae. Is the lighting causing this? I
don't have a CO2 system, and it is not convenient for me to install
one, so I was wondering if there was any other way to combat this
problem. I don't mind the algae on the glass, because I can scrape
it off, but the algae on the plants is what's bothering me.
<Brown algae -- diatoms -- are almost always a problem in [a] new
aquaria and [b] tanks with insufficient light. If your tank is more
than a few months old, then the problem is probably lack of light. Fish
and snails have modest impact on brown algae though they do eat some.
Much better to boost the lighting levels. For various reasons plants
prevent algae from growing when they are doing well. So make sure you
have at least 2 Watts per gallon of water, and that you are using the
right type of light (i.e., a plant-friendly one rather than a generic
aquarium light).> Thanks for your advice, Alex <Good luck,
Neale> Wormlike parasite 5/30/07 Hello there,
<Good morning> I have a problem with two Bronze Catfish, they
seem to have a parasite that I can't identify. One of the Bronze
Cats is new, I've had it for a few days. My tanks isn't very
old (less than two months, but I have been monitoring it closely and it
has cycled). It is a 90 litre tank (24 ish gallons). Currently my temp
is 79, pH is 6.8 , ammonia 0, nitrites 0 (I only tested for nitrates
once about three weeks ago and there were none, the tank is quite
heavily planted so I'm guessing whatever nitrates have been
produced are being used up or removed during water changes). I
don't think that water quality is affecting the fish, but
nevertheless the Bronze Cats seem to have extremely tiny, whitish,
wormy looking things attached to the very ends of their fins, they are
difficult to see with the naked eye. There don't seem to be any on
their bodies, they just seem to be on the ends of the fins, hanging
like little tassels that move when the fish are swimming. They are very
small, they must be less than a mm long. There seem to be more on the
newest Bronze Cat, but I believe that the other bronze has caught them
now too because I noticed a few today ( I'm afraid that they are
spreading). I have 2 Pepper Cats and two Sterbai Cats and they seem
unaffected, none of the other fish in the tank seem affected either
(Neons, Gouramis, SAE etc.). These parasites don't seem to be
bothering the fish so far (no clamped fins, scratching or heavy
breathing) but I know that this could change. These two Bronze Cats
also seem to each have another problem as well ( I know this is getting
boring but I think it's better to get all the details out in the
open). My older Bronze Cat is a long finned variety, very pretty, but I
think that someone likes the look of his magnificent dorsal fin because
sometimes it suddenly looks munched or shredded. It heals readily and
does not seem to get infected so I don't think that it's fin
rot. I don't keep any 'aggressive' fish in my tank, but
maybe a naughty baby Clown Loach might have nipped him? ( Who knows
what any of the fish get up to when the lights are off?). The newer
Bronze seems to have lost the barbels on one side of his mouth, it
doesn't look infected. This seems to have happened quite suddenly
as well ( it was while I was inspecting this that I noticed the
parasites). I think that the barbel may have been damaged during
feeding. I try to break up a few small sinking wafers for all my bottom
feeders to have an even chance but I have still noticed that the Clown
Loaches are pretty dominating at feeding time. My Betta also gets quite
aggressive as well. Could the barbels have been severed during a
feeding frenzy? I realise that the parasite and the injuries may be
related because the fish may be more susceptible to infection if
they're injured. But do you have any idea what the parasites are
and how to treat them? <Mmm, microscopic examination would be the
route to go here, but likely some type of Fluke (Trematode)> My
other issue is with a new Blue Ram. I bought a male and a female (they
get along well) and it is the female who is looking rough. She has got
small white patches on her body and fins. They aren't Ich spots but
they don't look cottony or fluffy either. Could they be a fungus
infection that is just starting out? Or is it bacterial? <Impossible
to state for sure... but the fish being new, I would be very
conservative here re treatment> I don't know what to treat with.
I have a malachite green/Methylene blue/quinine solution which is meant
to be a sort of 'cure all' tonic, <The Malachite is quite
toxic... I would hold off for now> but I am afraid to use it with
the Clown Loaches being in the tank now, and I don't want to
destroy my biological filtration either. Would the medicine that I have
be suitable to treat the worm parasites and the fungus or would you
recommend something else? Should I treat the whole tank? ( I don't
have a QT but could do a short soak in a bucket?) Sorry this is so long
but I would really appreciate any advice you could offer. Kind regards,
Jessica in New Zealand <I would treat the worm problem with an
Anthelminthic (likely Flubenol or Prazi(quantel)... covered on WWM (see
the indices, search tool)... and the current problem with the Ram...
not at all, other than maintaining good (soft, acidic, warm) water
quality. Bob Fenner> Peppered Catfish with blisters 5/28/07 Hi
There <Hello.> Would love some advice <OK.> I have a
Peppered Catfish (had him for approx 9 months) and he has in the past 7
days developed these water type blisters around his dorsal fin, they
are see through bubble blister things!!! <"A" peppered
catfish? I hope you have more than one in the tank. They are *very*
sociable catfish, and the bigger the group, the better. At least keep
three or four.> I have tested water all is fine as usual and PH 7. I
know that they do not like salt however I do have salt in the water as
they are in a community tank and they have been fine for the past 9
months. <Do not add salt. It is bad for them. Repeat after me:
freshwater fish do not need salt in the water. Tonic salt is snake oil,
sold to unsuspecting aquarists to extract cash from them in return for
overpriced uniodized cooking salt (which is all it is). If you know
they don't like salt, why are you adding some anyway?> I also
have Albinos in there and they are fine along with the clown loaches
maybe they are more tolerant than the Peppered? <No.> So to my
questions is my catfish getting old and has a bacterial problem?
<Probably not.> Will it spread to other fish? <Depends what it
is. If Whitespot/Ick, then very likely yes. If simply a viral growth or
tumour, then probably not. Need more of a description that "bubble
blister things" to identify the problem. What's the size of
the blister? Are they on the fin membrane, the spines, or the skin
around the base of the fin?> What should I use to treat her?
<Until you identify the problem, don't treat with anything.
It's entirely possible that the salt is irritating the skin of the
fish and causing physical damage, hence the blisters. So the treatment,
such as it is, might well be stop adding salt and keep your catfish in
a freshwater aquarium, not a brackish water one.> I have been told
by a friend that salt just sits at the bottom of the tank and when you
gravel vacuum you do not get rid of the salt so maybe it has become to
salty and maybe burned him? <If someone was foolish enough to add
the salt directly to the aquarium then yes, grains of salt could sit on
the bottom of the tank. They don't "burn" the fish in any
meaningful way because the fish could easily swim away from any
irritant like a salt grain. But if small fish swallow whole grains of
salt that would be very bad for them indeed (much as if you swallowed a
whole cup of salt). Even in this worst-case scenario, the grains of
salt would quickly dissolve, certainly within an hour, probably much
less. Salt doesn't come out of solution again under normal aquarium
conditions, so grains wouldn't "re-appear" on the
substrate, so that part of your friend's story is nonsense.> I
did just try to add some other Peppered and they died after a couple of
days but they were very small and came from a freshwater tank at the
LFS. <Quelle surprise. Please, stop adding salt to the aquarium.>
Any info would be appreciated........ <Do please have a read of this
article for an overview of the Corydoras group:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/callichthyids.htm .Peppered
Corys are lovely catfish, and I've kept and bred them myself.
They're essentially very hardy (mine live in a pond over summer)
and very rewarding animals if treated properly. But adding salt to the
Corydoras aquarium is at best pointless and at worse stressful to the
fish.> Many Thanks Faye <Good luck, Neale> Cory problem, no useful data 5/25/07 Hello! I have a Cory...sorry I don't know which kind, but a fairly common one. Recently I noticed that just about his entire mouth has disappeared! The barbels and what I call the snout. There's nothing left but a tiny hole and I don't know if he is eating through that. <Have seen this before... sometimes from collateral shipping damage... on occasion from sharp gravel, other objects in a tank... Can be caused by being attacked, or even consequent bacterial infection... from something/s amiss in the way of water quality> He's certainly not as active, but is not showing any other signs of fungus or infection. Gills look fine. Must be losing weight. What is the prognosis? Will his barbels and snout grow back? <Might, depending on how damaged, the root cause/s...> How can I help him because he's so sweet. I have already set him up in a hospital tank. I put Methylene Blue in his water. Thanks so much...I really want to save him! Elise <... Need to know what the system consists of, maintenance, water quality, foods/feeding... Even tankmate species... Can't guess w/ what little you've provided here. Bob Fenner> Cory cat behavior or disease - 05/01/07
Dear crew, Tank specs: 10 gallon, heated to 79 degrees (with
a heater that wont stay attached to the side of the aquarium, driving
me crazy and always having the tip touching the gravel*. is this a
problem?), <No> filtered with a hang-on filter rated for 5-15
gallons, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5 30 minutes before weekly
maintenance which consists of a 20% water change, quite often twice a
week, a swish of the filter in aquarium water or a change if needed,
hand picking of algae <Shouldn't have much of this...> and an
occasional swish of the sponge media when theres too much
algae. Eco-complete substrate, java moss, a planted plant I
cant remember the name of and a floating Anacharis that tends to tip
more then it floats. One small lace rock. <I'd pull
this... soak in some warm/boiled water... test the water for
phosphate... may be a principal contributor to your algae growth...>
Plant light florescent for the lighting, on about 12 hours
a day. Two panda Cory cats, two albino Cory cats, a male
Betta and lots of pond snails (that I purposefully introduced*. I like
them). Feeding twice a day with tropical flakes for the
Betta, shrimp pellets for the Corys, frozen white worm larvae, frozen
daphnia and Brine Shrimp Directs Beef heart Plus flakes for
all. (My Corys LOVE the beef heart
flakes.) Feeding is switched up every day, one thing at a
time, so no, Im not feeding everything all at once. They
fast one day a week as well as fasting my plants one day every two
weeks or so (which has done wonders for algae control). <Mmm...>
The tanks been set up for a couple of months with fish just
being added in the last month or two. No quarantine as the
place we bought the Corys quarantines and the Betta was added
first. Whew! I hope thats all the information you
need. My problem resides with my Corys. First, I was told
they would school together, which they dont. The pandas live
under the heater and the albinos swim around. I would like
to get more of each to complete the school. How many Corys
could I comfortably fit in the 10 gallon? <Well... I'd rather
that you had just five or so of one species...> We have two other
larger tanks that I could move either school of Corys in if theres not
enough room to complete the schools in the 10 gallon.
<Oh! Good... small, odd numbers of this genus are best in most
hobbyist settings... One species if the systems are small...> Second
problem. I used to have a fifth Cory cat,
albino. Two weeks ago he became paler then the other
albinos, no pink cast to his body. He would still scrounge
around for food when I fed them. (I feed them at the same
time in the same place every time. Even the Panda cats know
when to come out.) But other then that, he appeared rather
listless. He would even waft in the current and tip a bit.
But when I bumped him or another fish bumped him, he would move a
little. However, I happened to be leaving that day for a
five day vacation and worried that he would die while I was gone and
rot in my tank, causing havoc to everything else, I froze
him. Now one of my other Cory cats, who used to be active
and pinkish, is acting the same way. He acts more active
when hes scared into moving, but other then that, he just sits around,
blinking, with not much gill movement (though I know theyre labyrinth
breathers, <Yes... of a sort... facultative...> so I dont know
whether this has much to do with it). I watched him eat last
night, so I know hes still doing that. This has been going
on for 3-4 days now with no further deterioration of his
condition. So now I wonder, is he sick or did I freeze my
last Cory cat unnecessarily? <Maybe> There are no other physical
signs of illness that I have noticed besides what is described
above. I sincerely hope that I havent just missed the
answer in the FAQ section. I have read through the catfish
behavior and disease three times and Googled different terms
related. I hope I havent wasted your time. Thank
you again for your help. Celeste <Thank you for your thoughtful,
well-worded questions, comments... I would move the non-Panda species
here... and keep it/them in a bit cooler water temp. wise... Do please
see WWM, Fishbase.org re the water quality of these species in the
wild... Is your water particularly hard, alkaline? Lastly, a cursory
note re nitrogenous et al. waste accumulation and these (and most
Amazonian) fishes... They do appear ataxic (disoriented) as you note,
under such influences... better to have larger volumes, well filtered,
maintained to avoid such poisoning. Bob Fenner> Dying Cory? 4/15/07 Hi..
<Hello> I have two Corys, Pleco, clown loach, three Danios in a
27 gal. tank. all water levels are normal, except that the water does
test a bit hard. <... need the actual test values... can't read
minds to discern what you mean by "normal"> two days ago I
noticed that one of the Corys started leaning against rocks and the
tank to hold itself up in a resting position. over the last two days he
has become completely motionless and is not eating. he seems to breathe
heavily from time to time and at others I wonder if he's kicked the
bucket. There is no visible infection on him, he looks fine from the
outside, although I think today he got a bit bloated. I have no idea
what might have caused his condition or what to do. any
advice is greatly appreciated. best, Nathalia. <Perhaps high
nitrate, other metabolite/s... water changes... Do please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/armcatdisfaqs.htm and the linked
files above. Bob Fenner> Cory With Popeye - 03/20/07 Please help me, My
favorite fish is my Corydoras catfish. He recently came down with
Popeye. I am not sure what type of treatment I can use for him.
I've been reading online, but most of the advice is for other fish
and not Cory's. I don't know their tolerance to meds. He's
7 years old. I did about a 30% water change last night. He's in a
150 gallon freshwater planted aquarium. The water is in good condition
and I am not sure if he poked his eye, or what exactly happened. What
would you suggest I do? I need help ASAP. I'm 25 and love fish. I
know some people must think I'm nuts, but this little guy is my
buddy and he needs to live. Please, can you give me some advice? Thank
you. Gina <Place the sick fish in a clean hospital tank and treat
with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace.-Chuck.> Aquarium problems, FW, env. 1/11/07 I have a ten gallon tank running for the past three months and have lost eight guppies in the course of a month. <From?> My ammonia and nitrate levels are at 0 and my ph is 7.0 I change my water and vacuum once a week. Since the loss of my fish I have started changing the water and vacuuming the gravel twice a week. <I'd reduce this to just once per week... What is it you're attempting to accomplish by more frequent changing?> My Cory catfish is not doing well now. I have one guppy left and him in my 10 gallon. The catfish is laying on his side and breathing heavy. He has no spots on his body and was eating yesterday. Don't know what I am doing wrong with this tank. Please help. <... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaint.htm and the linked files above... I suspect you have fallen into the "cleanliness is sterility" mind-frame... Not valid. Bob Fenner> Lynda Williams Re: FW high pH, Corydoras beh... need to find, match in the FW Dailies 1/12/06 Thanks for the speedy reply, but have another question. <... please include prev. corr....> You said the PH of 8.0 was a bit high, but its constant and never shifts. Should I alter it a bit lower with chemicals? <Possibly... I would just mix in some water (reverse osmosis likely) that has less/no alkaline component to dilute, lower the pH> Just mix in chemicals in the storage water of 7.0 PH and pour in to the tank? <No... need to allow such pre-made water to set for a few days> Also you think the high PH contributes to the Corys being pale? <Yes, could very likely do so> Thanks for your time, patience <Do take a read: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwph,alk.htm and the linked files above where you lead yourself. Bob Fenner> Cory constantly moves, and has missing chunk 11/17/06 Dear Expert, I am so thankful to be able to have someone to ask about my poor fish. I have a 12 gal. tank with a couple of Corydoras agassizii, a male Betta, and 4 male guppies. The temp is kept at 78-80 F, water parameters are normal, pH 6.8 to 7.0, negligible ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, etc. and I do a 3 gal. water change with aged water every week. <So far, so good> All fish appear healthy and are eating well except one Cory. I first noticed 3 days ago that he was in constant motion - not swimming, but staying in place and just shimmying. <Strange> At first, I thought he was looking for food, as the motion was similar, but he never stops. His fellow Cory just sits on the bottom, then will look for food, and stop again. I also noticed a pale spot at the front of the dorsal fin, almost as if bleach had been dropped on the Cory's back. Now, there is a chunk if flesh missing from the Cory's back. <Mmm, there is nothing in the tank that would "bite" a piece out... Is there a piece of gear... a pump or such that might do this?> I can't find any similar reference to the movement as it's not jerky, frantic, or flashing. I don't want to use salt, <I would not> as I've read that Corys are sensitive to salt. Do you have any idea as to what his problem might be, and what I can use to heal him? Thank you for your advice. <This could be some sort of "time bomb", nervous/genetic disorder in the one fish... I am torn between urging you not to "treat" with anything for fear of disrupting biological filtration, hurting water quality... and suggesting something innocuous... Bob Fenner> Re: Cory constantly moves, and has missing chunk 11/17/06 Thank you, Bob, for the response. I couldn't find anything mechanical, and the missing chunk kept getting bigger. The Cory died, so fortunately, I don't have to treat and mess up the stability of my tank. I'll watch to see if other fish are effected, but so far, the rest are doing great. I agree with you that the problem is more than likely specific just to the one Cory. Thank you again for taking the time to answer my question. <Thank you for this update. Life to you my friend. Bob Fenner> Peppered catfish - more information needed 11/15/06 Hi, <Hello> I have a peppered catfish and he is in trouble. He is lying on the bottom of the tank, sometimes he goes for a frenzied swim but can't go far then floats to the bottom of the tank and he is breathing rapidly. The other fish are fine; should I quarantine him? and can I more importantly save him? He is so cute I don't want to lose him. If you can help I would greatly appreciate it. <A little bit more information about the tank (size, how long its been running, other inhabitants, water change schedule, etc.) and the water conditions (levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH reading, temp., etc.) are needed in order to give a proper diagnosis. In the meantime, yes, I would definitely quarantine this fish and keep a very close eye on him. With regards to the rapid breathing, I suspect toxins in the water - do test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, etc. and perform a water change if needed. Tanya. <Best regards, Jorie> Cory Cats With Problems 11/01/06 Hello, I have two problems, but I think they're related. I posted about this in the freshwater aquarium thread and the 911 thread when a second, more serious problem occurred. No one has been able to figure out what this is, so I thought I'd ask you as well. I'll give you as much information as possible. I have 3 tanks: 10 gal: (cycled) 4 three-line Corydoras 1 sunset platy 1 fancy guppy 5 gal: (cycled) 1 male Betta 5 gal QT tank: (not cycled) 1 yellow guppy 5 molly fry It all began with the QT tank. I had originally bought a female black molly and a male yellow guppy. After a week in the QT tank, the molly suddenly gave birth (I didn't know she was pregnant, but I've had platy and guppy fry before) to 6 fry. The following morning, I found the molly dead (Oct 8). While removing her, I noticed that her underside, on her belly, was white. It did not look cottony, like fungus. It was very hard to tell what it was. By Oct 13, I noticed that the fry had white on their bellies also. Since they're fry and so small, it was very hard to identify. Upon closer examination, it seemed gray, like their scales had come off or lost color. It didn't look like something "on" the fish. It was also shiny. It was only on the molly fry. The yellow guppy showed no symptoms. On Oct 13, I did something monumentally stupid and that was change the filter. I had originally taken the filter from my Betta tank (he needed a new one) and used it in the QT tank to cycle it. After putting in the new filter in the QT tank, I realized that I had just killed my cycle, since there hadn't been enough time for bacteria to grow in the tank. I began to do frequent water changes on the QT tank, and I also treated the tank with 3 tbsp of non-iodized salt in order to help with their problem. The fry were eating well, and swimming around, along with the guppy. On Oct 16, one of the fry died. During this time, the yellow guppy began to have red gills, and was hanging at the surface of the tank, and swimming around like crazy. I wasn't sure if he had an illness or was just reacting to the ammonia (which I kept down to .5 or less as well as I could with water changes). Since I wasn't sure, I decided to wait to see what happened while continuing to keep the same level of salt and frequent water changes. On Oct 24 I noticed my Betta had fin rot. I added 2 tsp of salt to his tank and did frequent water changes to keep his water as pristine as possible. I had been doing weekly 40% water changes on his tank, and it was fully cycled, so I'm not sure how he developed fin rot. I had used the same equipment from the QT tank to do his water changes on Oct 10 and Oct 19. I'm not sure if I infected him with the equipment, or if the fin rot developed on its own. Using the same equipment again, I did my regular water changes on my 10 gal on Oct 10, Oct 19, and Oct 29. Between Oct 29 and Oct 31, I noticed that one of my Corys was hiding out (none of my Corys hide, so this was unusual). Also, their gills seemed to be red. Now my Corys had originally had red gills (when I added them a few months ago, I didn't have a QT tank and learned my lesson) and pinkish faces, so I did frequent water changes in an effort to help them battle whatever it was (I thought it may be septicemia). The pinkishness went away, and so did the redness in their gills. On Oct 31, last night, one of my Corys (I'm assuming it's the one who had been hiding before, but I can't tell my Corys apart) began to be unable to swim. He would lie on the bottom, gasping, and then try to swim. He'd tilt to one side and end up swimming in a circle. I immediately tested the water, and my readings were 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrites, 5 ppm nitrates. Nothing had been changed to the tank in months, with the exception of using the QT equipment (buckets, cup, gravel vacuum) to do their regular water change. The Cory would occasionally get a burst of energy and begin swimming around frantically, careening into the decoration, the gravel, or the fake plants. As he swam, he'd spin like a spiral football. It was really hard to see my Cory like this, and I assumed I infected my 10gal with whatever is in my QT tank. The red gills and gasping led me to think it was a bacterial infection, so I treated the tank last night with Maracyn. Since my Qt tank is occupied, I had no where to put the sick Cory so was forced to treat him with the others. I also treated the QT tank, since 3-4 weeks of salt has not been helping them at all. I fully expected to wake up this morning to him being dead. Instead, he's still alive, still unable to swim properly, and is lying in my tank gasping for air. I keep checking on him to make sure he is still alive. Two of my other Corys are now hiding out, but I don't know if it's in response to the Maracyn or if they're also beginning to catch whatever the sick Cory has. I'm worried that I might end up losing all of my Corys. Do you have any idea what this is? Will my spinning Cory recover, or should I put him down? < The Cory probably gas an internal infection. Place him in the QT tank and treat with Metronidazole and Nitrofurazone or Clout.> I don't want to see him suffer, but I don't want to prematurely end his life if he can get over this. If I do need to put him down, what is the best method? < Place the fish in a glass of aquarium water and add a couple Alka -Seltzer tablets. The CO2 will remove the oxygen from the water and the fish will go to sleep and die.> I don't think I'd be able to sever his spine, so the least traumatic method for both of us would be best. I'm going to sterilize the equipment by using boiling water (is this the correct method)? < Probably not needed. The bloat is caused by stress. Check the aquarium for uneaten /rotting food.> Should I continue to treat with Maracyn, and how do I do water changes while medicating if it kills my cycle (which I'm assuming it will)? < If you must treat in the main tank then do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. After treatment then add Bio-Spira from Marineland to get the bacteria re-established.> I hope this was clear enough for you. I also hope I haven't made the situation worse by medicating with Maracyn, but I've read conflicting information on Corys and salt and didn't want to risk it by using that instead. Any help would be greatly appreciated!-Michelle < Stop using salt with the Cory cats. The really don't like it.-Chuck> 911 sick Cory with fungus!!! 10/23/06 <Hi, Pufferpunk here> I have an established (1 year and 3 mo.s old) 10 gallon tank with two neon tetras and three albino Corys, which I have had for about a year. I use the smallest size natural gravel that one can purchase from the store. I use no aeration but that from the filter, an Aquaclear 20 gallon. I change my activated carbon every other week, and do 20% water changes every week. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0 and nitrates usually 0 (see explanation below). I have had some difficulty establishing a neutral or slightly acidic pH due to the fact that about nine months ago I bought what I found out later is a hornwort plant. pH kept rising and couldn't figure out why--finally found out that hornwort raises pH and despite all my attempts to buffer the pH, finally had to get rid of hornwort. I tried using Publix drinking water (pH 6.5), then Publix purified water (pH 7.5) but have returned to my original formula, which is to do 15 - 20% water changes per week with distilled water, then add some Flourish to add back some of the minerals, and also, a small amount of Flourish Excel for CO2 for the plants. Here are my questions. First, one of the Corys has been stripped bare almost of all his fins and tails in the past six months, and I am wondering if it is the pH instability I have had. He still has his barbels and seems to have no rot at all. The other possibility is that I fed them two much live bloodworm (they love it so much) and I had a nitrate spike which I didn't find out about for a week, which may have eaten away his fins and tails. I now have Nitrizyme granules in the filter to prevent a future spike. <I wouldn't waste $$$ on a quick fix nitrate remover. The best way to remove nitrates is to do larger water changes, while cleaning gravel (You'll have to work around the plants). I do 50-75% weekly water changes on my FW tanks (depending on how they are stocked). The worst thing you can do to your fish is to cause the pH to swing up & down. Regular weekly water changes with tap water should keep the pH steady.> The other URGENT question is about a Cory I have had that started sprouting what looked like a white cotton ball from the side of his gills about a week ago. I started treating with Maroxy and Maracide II and quarantined him in a gallon and a half tank with an aeration stone. After four days the puff had turned grey/black but nothing else, so on the advice of a second pet store I added three quarters of a teaspoon of salt. Fish started being in obvious distress, but pieces of the fungus did start to fall off but not completely. The tank started clouding up which bloom I know is the beginning of the bacterial cycle, so I began doing 50% water changes, with water from the original tank and adding a little more Maroxy, etc., to compensate. Today I started a new treatment cycle and when I put the Maroxy, Maracide II and salt in the quarantine tank the little fellow started to fall over on his side. So, in a panic, I put him in the community tank, albeit the risk of a mass fishicide. He hasn't eaten in five days and is somewhat thin and weak. I DID start putting two teaspoons of salt in the big tank during water changes - I read on your site that for Corys the reduced ratio of salt is better than the usually 1 tbs per 5 gallons - so hope that will protect the other fish, but need to start treating him again. Should I start the Maroxy and Maracide II again in the quarantine tank? They really didn't seem to help that much. Another option suggested from the lady at the first pet store - she had 20 freshwater tanks at one time in her home, so her advice is better than the usual crap you get from pet stores - is to give the Cory a saline bath. She calls it her "when all else fails" method and has used is successfully with her fish. You raise the salinity to ocean conditions, watch the fish carefully, and the very moment it flops over, return it to normal conditions. Considering that the salt did seem to break off chunks of the fungus, I am thinking this may work. But what if it doesn't? <An uncycled QT must have at least 50% daily water changes on it, to prevent the fish from poisoning itself with it's own waste. You can treat the entire main tank with Melafix & Pimafix, without harming the other inhabitants or the biological filtration. If the fish is already weak/stressed, I would not put it in a SW bath.> And what's the most compassionate way to end his life if nothing works? I am not crazy about the putting them in the freezer method. <I would overdose with clove oil (found in the toothpaste/ache isle of a drug store) & then freeze. About 5 drops to a cup.> Your advice would be much appreciated - he doesn't have much time left from the looks of him and his suffering is hard to watch. I am also wondering whether to replace the gravel with sand to prevent future injuries, which is what I read causes the source of the infection in the first place. But the other two Corys do fine with the gravel. <I have used small-sized gravel with my Corys for many years. I hope he makes in. ~PP> Thank you in advance, Lisa Corydoras standing upright on bottom 9/20/06 Hi
there, I've been reading your board for a long time now, <Bet
you I've been t/here longer> and have learned so much, <Me
too> and I now have reason to contact you for the first time.
<Good> I recently rescued 2 Corys from someone on Craigslist.org.
(I believe the are Corydoras leucomelas) Had them for
2weeks so far. They were sold to the guy I got them from as Corydoras
schwartzi, which they are not (these have a lot of black on the top
fin) I plan on getting more of them, once these 2 are healthy and get
out of QT. I believe that they lived in some very bad conditions before
I got them, as they have no barbels. <Yikes... very bad> I'm
feeding them live blackworms, and shrimp pellets. One of the Corys is
eating well and regrowing the barbels already, but the other one
isn't eating as much, and is acting a bit strange. It sometimes
stands upright on the bottom of the tank. It will lay on the bottom,
then it's head will slowly start to rise, until it's almost
vertical. Sometimes it's head stays on the bottom, and sometimes
rests at 45 deg. <Very bad> This Cory can swim fine, up and down,
swims right side up, but it's not eating as much as the other.
These 2 Corys swim together all the time. <This genus are very
social animals> I haven't seen the vertical one poop yet, while
I have seen the other one doing his business at least 2 times ( but the
healthy one is a little piggy) I am thinking constipation or a swim
bladder issue? It is not swollen, or bloated in any way. <Mmm,
likely just so far beaten down, is having a hard time recovering its
health> I just need some advice on what to do now, medicate,
fasting...what? <I might try adjusting your water quality (pH,
hardness, temp.) more to their suiting... but otherwise would just keep
doing what you're doing> Thanks so much, as I want my lil
rescued guys to get healthy again if they can. Jay Vance <I wish you
life. Bob Fenner> Cory stuck in net - 8/10/2006 Bob, <<Hey Steve, this is Lisa.>> I had to remove all my fish from my tank a week ago to remove the under gravel filter and filter out the sludge trapped beneath it. During the process, one of my Corys fins got stuck in the net because of that little spike that he shot out. <<Best to remove in a scoop of some kind.>> I gave him half an hour to free himself and he could not do so. I was also unable to free him. As a result, I cut the net away, leaving a very small piece still attached to his fin (it is one of the front side fins, I do not know the correct anatomical term for it). The piece of net is maybe 1/8" by 1/8". He is eating and swimming around like he is fine and there are no signs of infection or fungus, but the net is still there. Is this an immanent health danger? <<Imminent, no. He will likely shed it in time. If this should happen gain, gently pull him in the opposite way of the caught net.>> It looks like the net might be twisted in there. What is going to happen? <<Watch him, and if it becomes an issue, you may need to remove with tweezers. Right now, just watch and see. Lisa.>> Worried, Steve Mysterious Corydoras deaths...one by one 7/12/06 Hey Crew. <<Hello, Justin. Tom>> I've had a series of mysterious deaths in my planted 20 gallon tank. I awoke this morning to find another fish very near death (it had seemed to be ill for a couple of days) so now I'm looking for advice. Here's all the data on my tank: 20 gallon with live plants, filtration is 150 gph, HOB filter. I use an airstone as well. Temperature is usually 23-24c, though with recent hot weather, it's gone as high as 26c. Livestock is as follows: three bronze Corydoras, two three-line Corydoras (one of which is near death), and two dwarf Otos. The tank is cycled, ammonia and nitrite are 0, and always have been. Nitrate is consistently around the 20 mark. pH is higher than I'd like it to be; but stable at around 8.0. I've decided to leave that as it is rather than monkey with it. I've tried that before with no success. I do a weekly water change of 5 gallons, using dechlorinated water. <<With the exception of the unfortunate demise of your pets, I see nothing wrong here, Justin. As you suggest, your pH is, frankly, quite a bit higher than Corys would prefer but I commend you for not playing around with it. Better to leave it "stable".>> The trouble started about six weeks ago...in the span of approx. 2 weeks, I lost three panda Corys and a three-line Cory. Two of these fish displayed no specific symptoms before they passed, they just became listless for a couple of days, eventually became unable to right themselves when swimming, and died. My current sick three-line is showing basically the same symptoms, though it's gills have been quite pink while it's been sick. One panda Cory died from what appeared to be dropsy, another came down with what appeared to be a fairly minor case of fin rot, and was dead 24 hrs later. At the time, the fish that died were all fairly new (all were quarantined before adding to the main tank) and while they did not appear to be sick when I purchased them, they weren't exactly top quality specimens either. I dismissed this as a run of bad luck, and bad stock. Having no more trouble for a month confirmed this for me. But finding another sick fish, one that I've had for nearly a year, is the final straw...but I can't imagine what's going wrong in this tank. <<Having had no personal success with Panda Corys, I can appreciate your frustration but haven't got much to offer as far as an explanation goes. I knew they were among the least, if not the least, robust of the species when I tried my hand with them and did everything I could think of with no luck whatsoever. To this day, I don't have a clue. On the flip side, I've got Leopard and Emerald Green Corys - which are really Brochis - that are doing famously. Admittedly, my pH is considerably lower (7.0) and this makes me suspicious of this parameter in your case.>> I feed these fish a varied diet of Hikari sinking tablets, algae wafers, peas, and several meaty foods, both frozen and dried. There's also a colony of pond snails in this tank, which I occasionally crush by hand and leave for the Corys to gobble up. So what could possibly be the problem here? Is it the recent temperature increase? <<I'm not too keen on the idea of the snails for these fish but I've no knowledge of them being either good or bad as a food source for Corys. The temperature increase seems to be an unlikely candidate as the problem to me. An increase due to weather conditions is going to be relatively slow and not problematic. I'd be more suspicious of a sudden drop in temperature.>> The high pH finally taking a toll? <<Of the conditions that you've thoughtfully/carefully described, this is the one that I'd be most inclined to suspect, especially in the case of the Pandas.>> Are the snails bad for them? Am I cursed? <<Well, I don't believe in "curses" so I'd write that one off. :) Myself? I'd discontinue the snail regimen. They won't miss them and it will eliminate a possibility.>> I have a flotilla of aquarium meds I'd use in a heartbeat if there appeared to be a specific disease afoot. What do you suggest? <<Justin, there doesn't seem to be anything "consistent" in the specifics surrounding the deaths of your pets other than the fact that they're dying. One showed signs of "Dropsy". Another, fin rot (possibly) while two others simply grew listless and died. Since we're dealing with something that appears to be "obscure", I'm going to suggest something equally obscure. If you've got a heater in your tank, you may want to test for a stray electrical current in the water. Uncommon but definitely not unheard of. If nothing else, it might get rid of another possible cause for the problems you're experiencing.>> Thanks in advance for your help. JM <<I'm afraid my usual two-cents-worth may only be worth about half of that in your case, Justin, but, other than the pH issue, you don't describe anything that doesn't sound spot-on to me. Tom>> Sick Corydoras habrosus... no useful info. 6/3/06 One of my Corydoras habrosus is sick. She is extremely pale and can barely shuffle along the substrate, dragging her belly. She is interested in food but can't get in position to eat with her tail up and head down, so she can't eat. Her barbels point inward instead of outward. She is winking and looking up and down more than usual. One time she actually got up to the surface for a gulp of air, but to do it she had to zoom around and around in rapid circles spiraling upward, and her body was canted over at a slight angle to one side while she did it. Got any ideas what this is and how to treat it? Should I isolate her? All the others look and act absolutely fine. <... what re the set-up here? It's history of operation? Water quality? Foods/feeding... Bob Fenner> Salt tolerance of Cory Cats 5/28/06 Hello Crew! <<Hi, Jasmine. Tom here.>> I understand that the salt tolerance of catfish in general is very poor. <<It's true that Catfish don't have a tolerance for salt at levels that other fish can tolerate quite well.>> I have some Otos, Bronze Corys and Panda Corys. <<I love these guys, Jasmine. The Pandas tend to be a little less "robust" than other Corydoras varieties but they're sure cute. :)>> For future reference when the situation eventuates, how much aquarium salt would you recommend for these fish for a) prevention of nitrite poisoning and b) disease treatment. <<Regarding (a), don't let this situation "eventuate". In a cycled tank, with proper maintenance, it simply shouldn't occur. As to (b), this isn't, unfortunately, an option because of the dosages necessary to be effective. The "cure" would be as bad as the disease, in a manner of speaking. Even with all of the benefits to be derived from the addition of aquarium salt, in your case, I'm reluctant to advise this. Neither of the instances you cite would lead me to recommend its use given that there are alternatives should the occasion arise. I hope it never does, though. ;)>> Thanks for your help! Jasmine <<Happy to, Jasmine. Tom>> Cory Color, Illness - 05/07/2006 Hello, <<Hello, Judy. Tom here.>> A question that I haven't seen posed...my Schwartzi Cory has a white area above the barbels...only white, not inflamed, but it doesn't seem to be going away...or getting worse. <<Might be genetic, Judy.>> The LFS had me dose a little with Methylene blue, but other than that have left it alone. <<Not a "bad" call on the part of the LFS but, as you're aware, Methylene Blue can/will play havoc with your beneficial bacteria and plants. Generally, it's best not to treat until something specific has been identified.>> His activity is fine-appetite good, also. He's in a 20-gal with testing coming out at 7.0-0-0-5.0 Any ideas or feedback would be greatly appreciated. <<There's certainly no problem with your readings and given that his appetite/behavior is good, I don't see reason for concern here. In my experience with Corys, coloration changes concurrent with a "problem" affect the entire body of the fish. Typically, the fish becomes more "pale" with diminished coloration overall. They also become almost completely inactive and stop feeding, which doesn't seem to be indicated in your case.>> (I'm wondering if it has anything to do with vacuuming with the water changes....am I not doing a good job?. the gravel is natural and not large.) <<As long as you vacuum deeply - all the way to the bottom - when cleaning your gravel, you're doing a good job. Also, a substrate that would be inappropriate for foragers like Corys would be expected to affect the barbels, not necessarily the coloration of the snout.>> Thanks a Lot, Judy <<You're welcome, Judy. Tom>> Cory catfish tail & fin disappearing... tiny system, no info.
on upkeep or water quality 4/14/06 My son has a 3
gallon Eclipse tank that's approx. 2 yrs old. Originally he had 3
fish, one of which was a Cory catfish. Not sure what the others are.
All was well for over a year, then the Cory's fin and tail started
disappearing. <... Likely environmental... the tank has gone
"acidic" with being small, lack of regular maintenance>
Spoke to the fish store & they suggested treating the tank with a
green medicine. <No... likely Malachite... too toxic and
inappropriate...> Did this 2 different times with no improvement to
the Cory, and he died after a month or so. <Poisoned> Got another
Cory, <...> and this one started losing his fin & tail almost
immediately. Treated the tank again with no success, and started
wondering if one of the other fish was eating him. (Never saw any
aggression.) Got a tank separator (mesh) and have kept him separate for
2 weeks now. Fin & tail don't seem any worse, but no better
either. Fish store suggested feeding him a pellet 2x/week. Doesn't
seem to like it, and after a few days it gets fuzzy and floats to the
top. Just did a water change and the pellet remains stank horribly.
Help!! What's wrong with his fin & tail, and what should I feed
him? Thanks! <... What re your water quality? Do you change out
water on a regular basis? Perhaps a video fish tank would be better,
instead? Bob Fenner>
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